Introduction (cont.)

Morra returned to the clerk's counter with Atheer in tow. Ci-Ci hadn't moved, and by the look of her, she had fallen back asleep. The 'demoness' cleared her throat loudly and once again the clerk just opened her eyes.

"Yeah."

"If you need to stretch your legs, then go keep an eye on the other guests."

Ci-Ci cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "Are they not adults? Do they need supervision?"

A crash echoed from across the store.

The clerk gave a weary sigh. "On it." She stood and walked away with a hasteless pace.

"Is she supposed to be a demon too?" Atheer asked facetiously after the white-haired girl was out of earshot.

"Yes. Cilral is bound to me as my ward." Morra took the question in stride.

Atheer snorted. This lady was either good at improvisation, or had an extensive narrative prepared.

Morra passed the counter into the space beyond. Atheer recalled her personal contingency for this situation but decided that her curiosity was more important at this point. Two doorways later they were in a room with a giant safe. It was tall and dense-looking. It seemed like the sort of thing one would obtain if they wanted to convert a particular room into a bank vault. Atheer was appreciating its grandeur when she realized there was no way to get something like this into the building. It was big enough that nothing shy of a garage door could hope to let it pass, and where it stood, it looked like it was flush with the ceiling and walls. There could be no explanation other than the shop having been built around it.

Morra stepped forth and input the combination on the safe's dial. However, 'safe' seemed less applicable than 'vault' the more that Atheer studied it. It took the better half of a minute for the shopkeeper to finish, but when she did, she stepped back and gestured to the rotary bolt.

"If you'd be so kind."

"Why me?" Atheer asked suspiciously.

"That's how you get your trial."

Mentally preparing herself to be shoved in and locked in the vault, Atheer complied, grabbing hold of the rotary and spinning it clear. The rotary spun like it was well maintained and she could feel when the bolt was out of the way. She paused to look at Morra who invited her to open it with a wave. Atheer did so. She was mindful to move with the door so as to deny any chance to be between Morra and the open vault. When the well-lubricated door was opened wide enough, Atheer leaned around the door to look within.

The interior of the vault looked fitting for its exterior appearance. It looked like a relatively small bank vault with walls loaded with tightly-packed lockboxes. A fluorescent lamp hummed in the middle of the ceiling, lighting the inside. Centered in the vault was a display pedestal, made of the same metal as the floor and lockboxes. Atop this pedestal was a book; the only visible item stored in the vault.

"Ooh," Morra sang with delight. "You got the book. This is one of my favourites." She allowed Atheer a moment to get a look of the vault before stepping in and plucking the book from its resting place. She returned and closed the door behind her, letting the bolt spin shut.

The shopkeeper held the book up for Atheer to see. It was not a very large book, about the size of a novel, but halfway to being as thick as a textbook. However, its leather hardcover made it look as heavy as one. There was nothing on its front, spine, nor back; just near-black leather. The cover looked aged without looking worn, but the edges of the pages that Atheer could see looked white enough to have been printed that same week.

"This is your trial," Morra said with a presentational voice.

"I have to read a book?" Atheer asked. She was a little disappointed. If this was her challenge then the 'blessing' Morra promised was undoubtedly going to be something lame.

"Not quite. The deeper explanation comes after you agree to the terms."

"And what are the terms?" Atheer folded her arms.

"I'm going to present you with the choice once again. Option one: you may all leave and suffer whatever curse befalls you. Option two: you make a purchase - doesn't matter if its one cheap item for the six of you, or you all chip in to buy out the shop - and you all leave in the same state as you entered. Option three: you take and open this book, complete the trial successfully, and you all walk out of here with a blessing. You're still allowed to make a purchase with option three, but that's your choice."

Atheer thought it over for a moment. She still could not figure this lady's angle. Was this all some eccentric scam to spook them into buying something? If they left without buying anything, was she going to sprinkle some powder on them so that they itched for the next two days? Was she just some poor, deluded woman who actually believed she was a demon? She didn't want to admit it, but Atheer was really curious about what would happen if she accepted this 'trial'.

Willing to take a chance, Atheer grabbed the end of the book opposite of Morra's grip and pulled on it, but the shopkeeper's hand didn't let it go. Puzzled, she looked up to meet the woman's eyes. There was something both daring and warning in those eyes.

"Once you open the book, you have to see this through."

Any other person that had stayed on this long would have taken this as the last straw and left on the spot. Instead, Atheer pulled on the book again, and Morra released it. The book was as deceptively heavy as it had looked. Atheer turned it over and examined its featureless exterior. She checked Morra one last time to see the 'demoness' still wearing that conflicting look.

With a shrug of her shoulders, the goth held the book at a comfortable height for reading, and pulled back the cover.